The present invention relates to apparatus for accurately aspirating the ocular contents during surgery, including aspiration of the opaque crystalline lens cortex, and for enabling refluxing of the same, as well as aspirating vitreous gel and similar applications, being more particularly directed to improved finger-actuated vacuum-control apparatus for effectuating the same.
In previous apparatus of this character, using peristaltic or diaphragm pump vacuum sources, foot switch control of the aspirating or vacuum application and removal has been universally employed and considered necessary, as described, for example, in a 1985 bulletin of Cilco, Inc. entitled "The I/A System 2000"; and advertisement of Mentor-0&0, Inc., appearing on page 16 of Argus Annual Meeting Edition, Nov. 11, 1987; a 1987 bulletin sheet of CooperVision, "The Cavitron/Kelman Model 6500, etc.", more fully described in "Bacterial recovery from automated cataract surgical equipment", by Henry M. Clayman, et al., appearing in J. Cataract Refract Surg., Vol. 12, March, 1986, pages 158-161; and a 1987 flier of Visitec Company entitled "Visitec for all the right reasons". All these machines have had to use a foot switch to control the vacuum. In other words, to relieve the vacuum, the surgeon takes the foot off the foot switch and the pump stops. A method then has to be employed to relieve the vacuum in the line. One of the important problems with this is that the air passes through the console itself and bacterial contamination can result, as described in said Clayman et al. article. Such foot-pedal control, thus, leaves much to be desired in the sensitivity of control, the distraction of the surgeon from the operating site, the bacterial problems in vacuum relief as described in the said Clayman et al. article, and generally the lack of variable vacuum control--either set at irrigation minimum or maximum, among other limitations.